Terrible news: the top player for the Philadelphia Flyers will retire due to a serious illness.
After 14 years and 736 NHL games, former Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto officially announced his retirement from professional hockey on Instagram on September 6. From 2014 to 2017, the 33-year-old was a member of the Flyers, participating in 167 regular season games and recording 20 goals and 43 assists.
Del Zotto started his career with the New York Rangers, where he played alongside Marc Staal and under current Flyers coach John Tortorella. On August 5, 2014, Del Zotto signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract as a free agent, and joined the Flyers. With 32 points in 64 games, he had the third-most productive year of his career in that same year. Only once in his career did the former Ranger play 82 games, and he brought his injuries and lack of availability with him to Philadelphia.
Del Zotto gained a reputation over the years as a capable puck mover and strong role player, but during his time with the Flyers, he was miscast as the team’s top defenseman. Under Dave Hakstol, the seasoned defenseman averaged a career-high 23:25 of ice time in the 2015–16 campaign. In terms of average time on ice, Del Zotto’s first two of his three years in Philadelphia actually rank among his highest.
Del Zotto played for the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and most recently, the Ottawa Senators, following his departure from the Flyers in 2017. He was reunited with head coach Craig Berube during his tenure with the Blues; Berube had coached Del Zotto during his rookie season with the Flyers and had led the team to the Stanley Cup in 2019. Del Zotto did not play for the Blues during their Stanley Cup run, and he only appeared in seven games during the regular season.
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